The Least of These: : Stories of Schoolchildren

Written by an elementary principal in a poor, urban neighbourhood in the United States, The Least of These recounts a year in the life of a school and challenges the proposition that school reform can be achieved smoothly. The author describes the conditions of the children′s lives and those of the people who struggle to help them. Her account is a moving narrative depicting poverty, violence and neglect, and the teachers′ struggle to offset these dismal conditions. The book highlights the restrictions facing the school which result from a large bureaucracy and a powerful teachers′ union.

I am truly impressed by Van Cleave′s book, for it speaks powerfully to what school life is really like. This compelling story will be of great interest not only to educators but to parents and policymakers as well. Ernest L. Boyer, President The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of teaching "Underlying all is the one theme of which we must never lose sight: we are there to ensure that every child receives a world-class education." Samuel G. Sava, Executive Director National Association of Elementary School Principals From the Principal of Kelly School, Portland, Oregon, recognized September, 1995 as one of 16 model schools in the country by noted education reformer Ernest Boyer. Puts students, teachers, and principals back into the concept of school reform. Along with the pain of Van Cleave′s message comes a reaffirmation of the reasons teachers teach